A woman grieving the loss of five of her family members who died in a vehicle crash in Sinton described the close bond and memories of her loved ones.
The July 18 crash at the U.S. 77 access road and State Highway 89 claimed the lives of Samantha Cruz, 37; Sara Salina Cruz, 63; Ruben Cruz, 68; Sonia Montes, 64; and Sallie Montes, 61.
They were all originally from Taft but lived in Corpus Christi later in life for many years.
The Texas Highway Patrol determined that Samantha Cruz, who was driving a 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee with her four family members as passengers, was traveling south on the U.S. 77 access road and failed to yield the right of way at a stop sign. The vehicle was struck on its passenger side by a 2011 Toyota Tundra traveling south on State Highway 89. The driver and two passengers of the Toyota Tundra were not seriously injured.
Stacy Martinez, the daughter of Sonia Montes, described her mom and aunts as “the glue that kept us together.”
She told the Caller-Times about how difficult and sudden the loss has been for her siblings and for her cousins, Sallie’s children.
Stacy also spoke about how they will carry on the legacy of both the Montes and Cruz families.
“When you lose your parents and your family … you learn a lot about what you’re supposed to be doing and what’s supposed to be, what life is really about.”
Sonia Montes, Sallie Montes and Sara Cruz
The bond that Sara had with her sisters, Sallie and Sonia, was unbreakable and they stood by each other always, Stacy told the Caller-Times.
“They grew up together their entire lives,” Stacy said. “They talked on the phone daily; they lived together at some point in their lives, almost all of them.”
She shared Ruben and Sara’s wedding photos, pointing out Sallie, who stood next to her sister.
“That shows you the close bond that they had. … They were beautiful, and they passed together,” she said.
Stacy recalled her mother establishing family traditions like attending the Buc Days parade and “Sesame Street Live,” as well as her habit of dressing up for any occasion. Stacy said she had a pair of earrings to match with any outfit.
“My mom was just naturally beautiful inside and out,” she said.
Sonia provided for her grandkids and children without asking. Stacy said she was already in the process of buying Christmas presents for her grandkids.
Sonia worked for the Dr. Hector P Garcia Memorial Family Health Clinic in the call center for 14 years. She was deeply devoted to the Catholic faith along with her sisters.
Ruben Cruz, Sara Cruz and Samantha Cruz
Stacy said Ruben and Sara Cruz were married for 41 years as of July 6 and instilled kindness, compassion and faith into their daughter, Samantha.
“[Samantha] was growing up to be just like her mom,” Stacy said. “And her mom planted all those seeds in her. She could have everything she needed to be successful, and she was obviously on that path.”
Samantha worked in education for 13 years, serving as a paraprofessional and special education teacher in George West and the surrounding area.
She had dreams of earning her doctorate degree to become a principal.
She was an avid reader — her favorite books being the Harry Potter series — and was also deeply rooted in Catholic faith, just like her parents.
Ruben loved comic books, a favorite of his being Batman, and cheered on the Dallas Cowboys.
Sara enjoyed crocheting and gifting blankets to all of the family members as well as matching accessories, like purses or jewelry, with her sisters.
Community response
Stacy created a GoFundMe page the day after the crash to help with funeral costs.
She said at the time she did not know what it would cost to lay the family to rest, but the amount of funds that accrued since then has been more than she could have imagined. As of July 29, people had donated about 91% of Stacy’s GoFundMe goal of $28,000.
“The Coastal Bend has a lot of great people,” she said. “And when you need the community, they’re there, obviously.”
Stacy, her siblings and her cousins have been writing cards to thank everyone they can who has donated to help their family.
She said that because the community has helped them, they plan to give back as well.
“There’s a lot of generous people, and some people just went extremely out of their way,” she said. “I understand our [duty] as well is to appreciate the community and then do something in their legacy. … This won’t be the end of it.”
She told the Caller-Times that she has spoken with her family about establishing a scholarship education fund or another type of assistance in honor of the five family members.
Stacy shared her thoughts about how she will carry her mother, her aunts and cousin with her and how the community can, too.
“Just love each other — it’s what they did,” she said, teary-eyed. “Just build a bond with your brothers and sisters and embrace the love that you share with your family because you never know when something like this tragedy is going to hit.”
A funeral Mass will take place on at 11 a.m. July 30 at the Most Precious Blood Parish Hall.
Two funeral expense benefits will be taking place on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2.
Felicity Guajardo covers breaking news and public safety. Contact her at felicity.guajardo@caller.com.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Woman recalls memories of five family members who died in Sinton crash
Reporting by Felicity Guajardo, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Felicity Guajardo, Corpus Christi Caller Times | USA TODAY Network
